A beam of LED light sliced through the dark.

“I know I heard something,” Vanessa’s voice, sharp and annoyed.

I held my breath until my lungs burned. Her footsteps moved across the concrete, the beam sweeping over the bed frame, the boxes — and then toward the furnace.

She was walking straight at me. The light lit the dust motes inches from my face. I shut my eyes and braced to fight for my life.

The beam caught the tip of my black shoe, just protruding from the shadows.

Vanessa stopped. The beam held. She took a step closer, her hand reaching into the dark.